Your Committee on Public Documents respectfully reports that two
important reports relating to the printing, binding and distribution of
government publications have been made and are now before Congress.
The first is the report of the Special Commission on Economy and
Efficiency, appointed by President Roosevelt, and transmitted February
5, 1912, in a special message approving the same by President
Taft, which "recommends that the work of distributing documents be
centralized in the office of Superintendent of public documents in
the Government Printing Office as a substitute for the present method
of distribution by each of the departments, offices, and bureaus
issuing such documents. The plan does not contemplate any change in
the authority which determines the persons to whom documents shall be
sent, but only that the physical work of wrapping, addressing, and
mailing the documents shall be done at one place, and that the place of
manufacture."
The second report is that made by the Congressional Committee on
Printing of which Senator Smoot is chairman. This committee was
appointed under an act of Congress approved March 3, 1905, and was
directed to revise and codify the laws relating to public printing,
binding and distribution of government publications. After seven
years of investigations and hearings this committee has formulated
and presented to Congress a new bill (Senate Bill 4239) covering this
entire subject. This bill which makes radical changes in the general
printing act approved January 12, 1895, has passed the Senate and is
now before the House.
While both reports embody many recommendations and suggestions made by
our association and by the librarians of our larger libraries, your
Committee on public documents has thought best to delay its formal
report until after the discussion at the sessions of the government
documents round table, at which time a paper by Superintendent of
Documents, August Donath, will be read, and possibly also one from
Senator Smoot, who has written that other engagements will prevent him
from being present and speaking.
* * * * *
As copies of the proposed bill and the special reports relating to
the same have been sent to several librarians, it is hoped there will
be a full and free discussion in order that any desirable changes or
omissions in the proposed bill may be called to the attention of the
Congressional Committee while there is an opportunity.
Respectfully submitted,
GEO. S. GODARD, Chairman.
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The FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT: No doubt all of you have very carefully and
thoroughly read the printed report of the Publishing Board, which was
distributed at the first session of this conference. It will therefore
be unnecessary for me to point out to you some of the very important
recommendations, or suggestions, which appear therein, and I mention
it at this time merely for the purpose of adding that since the former
session, through the generosity of Mr. Walter L. Brown of the Buffalo
library, the Publishing Board is enabled to distribute in connection
therewith a list which illustrates one of the very strong suggestions,
as we think, which appears in that report. You will find this list for
distribution at the entrance, and those of you who may care for it, may
help yourselves as you pass out.[2]
[2] The list referred to was a reading list of selected books on
Greece, prepared with annotated notes in the form advocated by Mrs.
Elmendorf in the report of the Publishing Board.
We will now hear from the committee on deterioration of newspaper
paper. We have had for the last two years some exceptionally
interesting and important reports on that very important subject,
and we are glad to know that Dr. Hill will at this time present a
supplemental report covering the investigations which he has made
during the last year, additional to the facts which he has reported
heretofore. Dr. Hill will please report for this committee.